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Donald Trump has lambasted his relationship with Britain under Sir Keir Starmer, saying he is “very sad” to see it is “obviously not what it was”.
The prime minister granted permission on Sunday for the US to use UK bases to target Iran’s missile launchers and stores to help protect countries targeted by Tehran, but the US president said he was “very disappointed” with Sir Keir over his initial refusal to allow the US to use the UK-US Diego Garcia base on the Chagos Islands as part of the operation.
He added that it “took far too long” for the prime minister to change his mind.
Hitting out at Sir Keir directly, the US president said: “He has not been helpful. I never thought I’d see that. I never thought I’d see that from the UK. We love the UK.”
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U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for a Medal of Honor Ceremony in the East Room of the White House on March 02, 2026 in Washington, DC (Getty)
It came after the prime minister told the Commons on Monday that he stood by his decision and warned that his party had “learnt the lessons of Iraq”, remembering Tony Blair’s decision in 2003 to support another US president in invading a Middle East state.
But speaking to The Sun about the special relationship, Mr Trump said: “It’s a different world, actually. It’s just a much different kind of relationship that we’ve had with your country before.”
He added: “It’s very sad to see that the relationship is obviously not what it was.”
The US president also accused the UK of having behaved “much different” from other allies.
Asked whether the UK is needed as an ally for its action in the Middle East, he said: “It’s not going to matter, but [Sir Keir Starmer] should have helped… he should have.
“I mean, France has been great. They’ve all been great. The UK has been much different from others.”
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Sir Keir Starmer told the Commons he stood by his decision and warned that his party had ‘learnt the lessons of Iraq’ (House of Commons)
But chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones said the remarks do not “negate the fact that we make decisions on the basis of legality and British interest”.
Asked whether he accepted the US was frustrated, the Cabinet minister told Sky News: “Well I’ve seen the president’s words but that doesn’t really negate the fact that we make decisions, as I say, on the basis of legality and British interest.
“We were content to offer bases at Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford, because evidently, the operations the Americans will run from those airfields will reduce the risk to British citizens and British assets in the region and that’s why we agreed to the request to use those bases on that basis alone.
“But the prime minister is very clear that we were not involved in that first strike and we’re not kind of going to war with Iran or getting involved in a wider set of activities.”
Asked whether the UK’s assessment was that there was not a legal basis for the initial military action over the weekend, Mr Jones said: “We were not involved in the first wave because it didn’t meet the test the prime minister’s set out.”
Giving a statement to MPs in the Commons on Monday, Sir Keir said: “President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes, but it is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest. That is what I’ve done, and I stand by it.”
Later he added: “How we operate on the world stage matters so much. We all remember the mistakes of Iraq and we have learned those lessons. Any UK actions must always have a lawful basis.”
The statement came as President Trump warned that the “biggest wave” of attacks on Iran was yet to come as the war in the Middle East rapidly escalated.
An Iranian drone attack on the Akrotiri RAF base in Cyprus on Sunday night came after Sir Keir’s announcement about allowing the US use of bases for defensive strikes. But it was held up as an example of the “indiscriminate” way Iran was retaliating.
Sir Keir said the drone was launched before his announcement and was not in retaliation to it, and pointed out that the bases in Cyprus would not be used by the Americans because they were not suitable.
He went on: “It is clear that Iran’s outrageous response has become a threat to our people, our interests and our allies, and it cannot be ignored.” But he insisted: “We are not at war and we are not getting involved in the offensive action the US and others are taking.”
Around 300,000 Britons are believed to be in countries targeted by Iran, with 102,000 registering their presence with the Foreign Office, whose staff are working on contingency plans, including a possible mass evacuation.
The prime minister’s statement was welcomed by Labour MPs who insisted that he must respect international law, but the Tories joined Reform UK in warning that the prime minister needed to say whose side he is on and took aim at his hesitancy to back US operations.
